Uzumaki Goes Home
by hallu
Summary: Thirteen year old Uzumaki Naruto's world gets turned upside down when she finds that her bedroom's no longer her bedroom, her Konoha's no longer her Konoha, and even—wait, no, not hers, but, uh, still—her kakashi-sensei's not her kakashi-sensei! (fem!Naruto)
1. Prologue

**Hey, thanks for clickin' on this story, Uzumaki Goes Home! or UGH!. Heh, yes, that was indeed on purpose; the acronym came first to me. Hope you enjoy.**

 **I drew the cover, if any of ya were wondering *wink*.**

 **Warning, If you're vehemently against fem!Naru, Kaka/fem!Naru, time travel fics, then I suggest you hightail the fuck outta here because this Naruto's gonna be very girly (not really but she's gonna have a pair of tits eventually), very in love with Kakashi (not any time soon cuz that'll be weird but still, eventually), and very... uh, prone to time travel? Not sure if that's the right way to put it tbh but well, anyways, yes. If you are scared of any of that I implore you to escape while you can because I fell hard for all this stuff.**

 **And, another warning, this introductory chapter might be a little hard to keep up with, you'll see why in a bit, but don't worry, this isn't how it's gonna be like for the other chapters (except maybe some side-chapters, or flashback chapters if I decide to do those). The chapters I've sketched out later are definitely clearer and smoother than this first one.**

 **I made the prologue choppy 'cuz:**  
 **1\. I wanted them to look more like tidbits/flashbacks of Naruto's life before time traveling**  
 **2\. and feel fast and simple, more like an explanation... personally when I check out a story I just wanna get a feel of what it's gonna be like content wise on the first page so I had sorta assumed that would be what other readers might like?**

Summary (the longer version):

Uzumaki Naruto finds herself in truly deep shit when she literally falls out of her time and into history. How did she do that, you ask?

Well.

ーIn the Konoha Military Police Force main officeー

Fugaku Uchiha wearily watches the scene in front of him, listening to the girl rant rather than explain the situation, as she has been doing for the past ten minutes.

"Now I'm only gonna say this one last time so make sure y'all are paying attention." Naruto huffed. "Long story short, I copied an incomplete seal off the Forbidden Scroll onto my shirt like, half a year ago I think. I unearthed it amongst other things this morning when Sakura-chan was making me do some spring cleaningーyes, I know it's still the beginning of winter shut the hell upー"

"We didn't say anything!"

"ーand afterwards fell off the ceiling right on top of it." She rubbed her chin thoughtfully, oblivious to the ire of the now completely dressed middle aged woman next to her. "Yeah, even I admit I should do something about my room now."

"You mean my room, you dirty, lying, perverted little girl!"

"Ow, ow, ow, stop slapping me you damn hag!"

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, I am merely writing this for my own entertainment and hopefully yours.**

 **EDIT (3/22/2017 lol it hasn't even been a day and I'm already editing): Added titles to the scenes.**

* * *

 _Uzumaki Naruto (12) on the night of Genin Exam day_

"What do you think you're doing in my office at this hour?"

Naruto's blonde pigtails shot up as she flinched, and she slowly turned around to face the Third Hokage. Knowing she was caught, she hastily brought her hands together to form the seal for—

"Oiroke no jutsu!"

A thump, and Naruto cautiously glanced back to see the old man lying down on the floor, in a pool of his own blood. Stepping over his crumpled form, she smirked at his flushed face and bloody nose.

"You make it too easy, Jijii!"

* * *

"First thing on this damn thing is the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu?" No way was she gonna waste her time on the goddamn bunshin technique. "Next!"

The frown on her face grew bigger and bigger as she kept unrolling the scroll, until—finally! One that stood out from the rest.

"Time travel? What, what, what?" She unrolled the scroll further, and brought it up to her face, almost disbelieving what was written down. "A time traveling seal, huh? That's so cool."

Her drawing skills were pretty good, always have been, and if it's just copying whatever design this seal was, she could do it in a jiffy. "Ugh! If only I brought some paper… all I've got is my lucky pen from this morning…"

Load of luck that pen was too… she failed spectacularly on the written exam.

She unzipped her oversized jacket and looked down at her worn shirt. Eh. She supposes she could manage with one less shirt.

Naruto then rushed—something she'll learn to regret when she realizes that things should not be rushed for a reason—to copy what was shown on the scroll on the back of her orange shirt.

When she was finished, she put her shirt back on before unrolling the scroll further, ready to move on… And it was then that she read the small writing at the end of the section for the seal she just copied.

"Whaddya mean it's fuckin' incomplete-ttebayo!"

She kept unrolling, moving on to search for other jutsus, until she finally gave out a sigh. "None of these really pop out to me."

Then, a thought came to her… hold on, why don't I complete this seal? She could learn how to do fuinjutsu. She could master it. She would master it. She would be the best seals user and hokage ever!

(Then… then, just maybe, she could find the answers to all her questions, the hopeful voice in her head whispered.)

But first, "I guess it wouldn't hurt to give that shadow clone technique a try…"

* * *

 _Uzumaki Naruto (12), a week after graduating the academy_

"Nah, nah, Iruka-sensei," Naruto grinned as she tugged on her beloved former teacher. "Don'cha have some books on sealing that I could borrow?"

Umino Iruka blinked, "Sealing? Why?" He squinted his eyes at her. "What made you change your mind about the art? I remember you were snoring quite loudly during the class I went over it."

The girl gave a sheepish grin, scratching at her left cheek. She took a moment to thin. Telling him from what seal exactly she got the inspiration to learn would either be a really bad idea, or a really, really bad idea. But, it was Iruka-sensei, and she was never good at keeping a secret from Iruka-sensei, anyways. So she decided to keep it very brief. "You see, I came across this interesting looking seal in the Forbidden Scroll – y'know, from the time you got stabbed in the back for me at the forest—" at that, Iruka gave her head a light slap, "—and I wanted to study it-ttebayo."

Umino raised his brow again.

"You? Want to study? No, no, wait," He sighed and raised his arms to try and calm the riled up girl. "I'm glad you're showing interest in a subject, but sealing is some tricky and dangerous business. There is a reason there aren't many sealmasters around, Naruto."

"I know, I know!" Naruto huffed. "But it's still worth a shot, right?" This could turn out just like the shadow clone, a lucky find. Who knows, this might just be her thing. And if not, well… she sucked at everything else, so what's one more gonna do?

He watched her for a moment, and perhaps it was her stubbornness that he wasn't bothered to go against or the sharp look of determination in her face that he'd barely ever seen before, because somehow, he relented.

"Come by my apartment later, Naruto, I'll give you some of my books." He ruffled her hair. "I never read them so they're just collecting dust now, anyways."

Naruto's eyes grew wide and mouth fell open. She screeched.

"Fuck yeah! —ow!"

* * *

 _Team Seven on their second C-rank_

"Naruto, where's your food?"

At Sakura's question, Naruto grinned. "I was waiting for someone to ask me that-ttebayo." She rummaged through her very empty bag (which was funny, because she attempted to bring luggage fit enough for ten people on their first C-rank, Sakura remembered with a dry smile), before getting out one rather small scroll. "Behold!"

At Sasuke and Sakura's unamused stare, Naruto hastily unrolled it. "You got a storage seal." Sakura stated after a slight beat of silence, and Naruto's grin was back.

"No, I made a storage seal." She waggled her brows, chest puffed out in pride.

Kakashi blinked. So the young Uzumaki was dabbling in the sealing arts now, was she?

"Yeah?" Sakura challenged, "Well what's inside?"

A small spike of chakra and a poof later, they were facing a mountain of cup ramen the size of the trees around them. They were a while away from the Konoha walls, assigned the mission of scouting the wilderness around their village for a few days to see if anything's amiss.

The size of the trees here are nothing to scoff at. There is a reason their village is named Village Hidden in the Leaves, after all.

Sasuke said nothing, as usual, but his face spoke volumes.

"Naruto…" Said girl beamed, not hearing the threat in her pink-haired teammate's voice.

"I know, amazing, right?"

"You idiot!" Bop.

"Ow!"

"That's nice and all, Naruto," Kakashi cut in before further violence could ensue, eyeing the miniature mountain, "But how are you going to get the hot water?"

* * *

 _Uzumaki Naruto (12), a week before the Chunin Exams_

It was always a "maybe later," or "perhaps you should focus on getting your aim at throwing better," or even, "uh, wait until I finish this chapter".

But no, today... today she was going to finally make him teach her!

So here Naruto Uzumaki was, in front of Kakashi's doorstep. Her notebook and fuinjutsu starter-kit were held tightly to her chest, while her right fist was up ready to knock. She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. This time, this time for sure…!

It was then that Kakashi opened the door.

"Why, hello there Naruto. it's so nice of you to visit."

The girl was standing there opening and closing her mouth like a fish, her mind suddenly blank. Perhaps she was just imagining it, but she swears she saw the left corner of his mouth twitch.

"Hmm?"

Naruto quickly gathered her wits, and a determined look settled in her face.

The man chuckled. Yes, definitely their child. "Well, you're not just going to stand there are you?" At her wide eyes, he eye-smiled. "Come in, I've got some scrolls you can practice making storage seals on."

* * *

 _A month after Uzumaki Naruto's 13th Birthday_

Her voice roared his name thunderously across the Valley of the End, and it echoed as she stood, atop Hashirama's head.

He stopped, and slowly turned to face her. His response was so familiar, yet so not at the same time. Naruto could only widen her eyes in shock, her throat suddenly dry and blood pounding hard in her ears. Sasuke's eyes were so...

Cold.

Her eyes followed the markings marring the right side of his face, tracing it down to the seal on his neck before it was hidden under his collar as he shifted.

If only she learned earlier, faster, if only she had more time…

Could things have changed?

Sasuke. Can you even hear me?

* * *

 _Two days before Uzumaki Naruto (13) leaves Konoha with Jiraiya_

"Sakura-chaaaan," she whined, making sure it was as loud and obnoxious as her voice would let it. "It's cleaner than it has been for the past month, cut me some slack-ttebayo."

Naruto was slumped over the edge of her dining table. She was pouting heavily, and looking not at all bothered to move away any time soon.

The nerves in Sakura's temples were threatening to pop at this point. "Naruto-chan, of course it's cleaner than it has been for the past month, because the last time you cleaned was when I came over to visit, which was half a year ago!" At Naruto's opening mouth readying to retort Sakura snapped, "And don't try to lie to me I know you." She unceremoniously dumped the garbage bag of empty cup ramen by Naruto's feet, and bopped the blonde's head.

"Ow!"

Sakura huffed in irritation. Really, all she came here for was to find Naruto, because she wasn't in the training field. This was one of their last training sessions before the girl leaves with Jiraiya-sama on her training trip, and, despite Kakashi's constant and excessive tardiness they had always made sure to come on time to warm up, spar for a bit, so that they could get more out of their training once their darn sensei decided to show up.

She sighed. It looks like the blonde forgot.

Shaking her head, Sakura pulled Naruto up off the table by the collar of her jacket and smirked. Naruto looked like a puppy held by the scruff of its neck.

"Now quit being such a pathetic slob and help me clean your own apartment, Naruto, before I start trashing your entire special cup ramen collection!" At this, Naruto paled.

"Aye sir!"

* * *

Grumbling, Naruto peeled off a brown shirt that was stuck under the cupboard. She wasn't sure when she spilled that bowl of ramen, but from how sticky and smelly and moldy the shirt was it was probably quite a while ago.

There, that should be the last of the shirts. As she took off her gloves she looked down on the pile, and laid the semi-hardened shirt she just peeled off at the top. Oh, Naruto blinked. She stood up and rubbed her hands on her pants, looking at the last shirt.

What was that squiggly looking black stain?

Taking a closer look, she realized it was from the back of the shirt, and turned it around. It took her a moment, before realizing, "Oh, this is where that orange shirt went! I've been looking everywhere for you, y'know."

It was from the Mizuki Incident. So that's how long ago the spill was from.

She chuckled before taking a step back and turning her head up. "Now…"

She stared at the ceiling—or more specifically, the unidentifiable slime stuck on the ceiling.

"How should I get that down?"

* * *

When Sakura came into Naruto's bedroom, she was surprised to find the blonde already inside. So this was where she was. Naruto had been gone for so long Sakura had wondered if she was even in the apartment at all.

Sakura's eyes were blank as she looked around the small room, no wonder. After this long you'd expect the room to at least look decent.

A few meters in front of her was a pile of gooey—wait, were those shirts…? Brows furrowing, she looked up.

"Naruto, why are you on the ceiling?"

Naruto let out a yelp, and suddenly she was falling head down. "W—woah!" Waving her arms around, she tried to break her fall with her hands.

When a hand connected to the top of her shirt pile, well, that was when everything went straight to hell.

Kakashi was strolling into Naruto's apartment when it happened. He came by to look for his two remaining students, because they weren't in the training grounds when he went, three hours late as usual.

He raised a brow at the sudden spike of chakra, and then raised both when another spike, more like a pulse, came. This one was much bigger, stronger; he wouldn't be surprised if it reached the Hokage tower. And… more importantly…

This one had been a burst of chakra with the Kyuubi's chakra.

He was by the bedroom door in a second, shielding his eyes from the blinding light and powerful gusts of wind. He immediately went to Sakura's side, and yelled through the noise around them, "What's going on?!"

"K-Kakashi-sensei—Naruto—" Sakura struggled to form words on her head and mouth as bunches of her bubblegum hair kept whipping at her face, "—She's…"

Her voice died as the wind and light finally relented, letting them see in front of them.

"Oh."

* * *

Day One

She was drained in mind and body. But even more than that, she felt… empty, somehow? Not in just energy but… Something's not right. She just couldn't tell what. Perhaps she was just hungry. Making a face, she decided to think about that later, because now every fibre of her being hurt. Naruto felt like a parade of elephants had come and trampled all over her unconscious body. And maybe her head, too. Turned it into a pile of mush 'cause of how fucking much it hurt-ttebayo! When she twitched, there were spasms all over her body. Every muscle in her body was unbearably tense.

Once the spasms left, she tried to get up slowly. That was when she heard a crash, and turned to see a plump woman who looked like she just got out of the shower. Naruto's eyes roamed up from the pink turban on her head, to the pink fluffy towels tied around the body, then down to the pink, bulbous slippers.

Naruto blinked. "Who the hell're you?"

The woman gaped, before letting out a shrill shriek.

* * *

Of course, the one day he gets to relax without being bothered by the clan elders, he is urgently requested at the Konoha Military Police Force office.

Fugaku Uchiha wearily watches the scene in front of him, listening to the girl rant rather than explain the situation, as she has been doing for the past ten minutes.

"—And that's what happened! For the billionth time, I said I don't what exactly happened beyond that, and I don't know why my bedroom's now being occupied by some old granny-ttebayo!" He assumed the blonde girl was referring to the rather plump woman—who looked to be in her late forties, not too old, but not young either—near her, who was barely being held back by two of his other officers. "Where is this place anyways? The hell?"

Sighing irritably, he finally asked his men, alerting them of his presence for the first time since entering the office.

"What is going on here?" Somehow, his low voice managed to be heard above the shrill outbursts of the 'old granny'.

"Fugaku-sama!" When one of the officers holding the girl down let go, he was abruptly punched in the chin.

It was then that the clan head was able to get a look at the girl's face.

Those were quite vibrant blue eyes she's got there… With the blonde hair, it reminded him of… a man he would rather not think about right now. "I repeat, what is going on?"

"Oh great, they send in another guy." The blonde grumbled, not bothering to look at him. "Just take me to the Hokage, she'll probably tell both you lot and I what the hell is happening."

"She?" Fugaku raised a brow. Last time he checked, the Hokage looked like a man. Not bothering to comment this, he pinned the girl with a harsh glare. "Girl, what's your name?"

"I'm Uzumaki—" His dark brows shot up, "—Naruto-dattebayo."

"And you said you were in your apartment cleaning, before you magically appeared in this woman's," he gave the middle-aged woman a glance, before quickly looking away when he saw hearts in her eyes, "bedroom, was it?"

Naruto gave a very loud groan. "Yes, yes, yes!" She'd rather not remember the old hag's steamy, pink, fuffy towel clad form, thank you very much.

Fugaku glared.

Naruto glared.

The old hag glared.

"I'm taking her to the Hokage. Not a word of this... case leaves this room."

They were gone in a swirl of leaves, leaving four, exhausted chunin, a weary jounin, and a very irate middle aged civilian behind.

* * *

The Hokage's secretary stared at the Uchiha clan head, then at the blonde girl in his grasp. "Hokage-sama is currently with company at the moment," At the orange-clad genin's obviously rising ire, she hurried, "but he'll be done shortly so please—"

"Obaachan, I'm comin' in-ttebayo!"

The door slammed open and in strutted Naruto, the girl in blonde twin pigtails and orange tracksuit. Confident and ready to blow.

…Well, that is until she saw that the Hokage wasn't Tsunade-baachan. And next to him, was a blond man with blue eyes wide in shock, but she didn't really register him because…

"Ji…jii?!"

* * *

I'll be posting up the second chapter soon-ttebayo. Thanks for readin'.

And there was a review that brought up a point perhaps some of you might have thought about as well (I got their permission to post this review!):

 _I'm surprised that she didn't realise that something is wrong when she was held back by Uchiha police when in her time almost all of them were dead. She couldn't overlook the clan signs on every single one of them..._

Thirteen year old Naruto being perhaps the least observant of all shinobi alone could probably allow her to miss this but there is another reason.  
The Konoha Military Police force was founded by the Uchiha clan, however it did not only consist of the Uchiha (though it mostly did until the massacre). It continued even after the massacre, though less prominent.  
And, the Uchiha wore their clan symbol on the back of their shirts, which was hidden by the green flak jackets they were required to wear on duty.

I got much of this info from .com (there's even pictures), if you want to go check it out. That site is amazing.


	2. Uzumaki Naruto!

**This came out way longer than I intended, sorry. Notes at the bottom.**

YEAR 45

* * *

"Ji...Jijii?!" Naruto cried out in shock.

Fugaku slapped the back of her head but she paid it no mind.

"Why the hell are you alive-ttebayo!" Hiruzen didn't have a chance to reply however because she kept on going. "Wait, no, before that, why is your hair so brown?! Why do you look so young?!

As Naruto paced ("Am I in a dream? Is that what this is?"), the men in the room took this time to observe the strange girl, all swallowing in her words carefully.

She then suddenly let out a yelp, causing the three powerful men to snap back up in alarm. "No, no, definitely not a dream because that hurt like a _bitch_." she muttered, rubbing at her red cheek. She then groaned, and started tugging at her blonde, spiky long bangs. The Uchiha was still holding onto the scruff of her jacket's neck despite the girl's thrashing. On the other side of the room, Hiruzen, for the first time in a while, was in a state of mild shock. She wore her hair exactly like how Jiraiya did, and it made him do a double take at how similar the girl seemed to Jiraiya when he was much younger.

"Urgh! I don't get what the hell's going on anymore-ttebayo!"

Minato was standing back, observing the girl who had just come in. She was so similar to a certain Uzumaki in the way she behaved. "'ttebayo'?"

Naruto jumped at his voice, squinting her eyes at him. "Yeah, I've got a verbal tic, got a problem with that?" She looked him up and down, her lower lip jutting out now. "Hm? I feel like I've seen you before…"

"Child, what's your name?"

Naruto pouted, turning to the Sandaime. "Really, have you grown so old that you forgot _my name_?" At this, Sarutobi's gaze sharpened.

"Answer me." Naruto flinched at his cold, calculating tone, mouth gaping. "I repeat, what is your name?"

"I-It's Uzumaki Naruto-ttebayo."

The Uchiha suddenly released his grip.

"W-Woah—Oof!" She fell flat on her bum. "Hey! What's the big idea?!" She was about to glare at the man behind her, but the Hokage spoke.

"Uzumaki Naruto, you say?"

The blonde looked up, and found that she was right in front of the Hiruzen's desk. She then met the stern face above it, and gulped. This was the Third Hokage, the man that was hailed as the 'God of Shinobi' in front of her.

She caught the look he sent Minato and the nod he gave to the police guy behind her. "Thank you for bringing her to me, Fugaku."

 _Wait, Fugaku?_ Why did that name sound so familiar to her? She turned around to get a good look at the guy, but Fugaku had just given a bow, and was quickly turning to leave.

"And this shall be kept between the four of us, I'm sure you understand."

"Hai, Hokage-sama. Excuse me."

When the door shut tightly behind her, Naruto looked back at her ji—no, the Hokage—and waited for him to speak to her.

But it was the blond man beside him who spoke instead.

"If I am right, I believe you are from the future."

Naruto blinked.

Then her brain took a minute to fully process those words.

"Wait, what?!" At their solemn silence, she looked down at her hands, as if checking them for anything different. "Huh. Wow."

Having it told to her outright made it easy for things to click in place. She looked between the two men, grinning. Whaddya know, that seal wasn't so incomplete after all… "Cool. So how do I get back?"

She hoped that whatever they had in mind was quick, like maybe half an hour quick, cuz she really had to get back to where she came from and train with Sakura-chan and Kakashi before she leaves for her trip-ttebayo! And during that half hour she had to wait she could henge, and take a walk. Look around, maybe, to see what's different, 'cause she must have been transported a _while_ back. The Jijii looked so much younger than from how she remembered! She looked at the calendar on his desk. Year 45. Huh. She quickly did the math in her head. 18 years ago?

"Well, Naruto," the Third Hokage began slowly.

"Yeah?"

"We can't send you back without knowing how you came."

Naruto nodded, "Right." She then immediately explained, biting back the urge to groan at having to explain so many times. "So yeah, I'm sure if we get out that Forbidden Scroll, find the time travel seal, I'll be able to get back in no time." She let out a small snicker at the last word.

Minato frowned. "Have you studied fuinjutsu, Naruto?" He asked warily.

"I'm studying it right now-ttebayo!"

The frown grew deeper. "Then you should know full well that a seal like the one you had used to get here—" He ignored Naruto's cry of _"Not on purpose!"_ and continued on without missing a beat, "—could not be a two-way road."

Naruto swallowed, and then there was panic in her eyes. "Wha—No! I can't afford to stay here!" She paced. "I was gonna go on a super training trip with Ero-sennin! I need to!"

Minato pinched between his eyes. "We'd rather you stay where you came from, too." He turned to the hokage, "Do you suppose we should at least see if there's anything we could find from the seal?"

At that, Naruto calmed down, eyes hopeful, and Sarutobi wearily nodded.

"Though I do wonder, Naruto, how you had the Forbidden Scroll in the first place," he said, raising a dark brow.

"Well, haha, about that, you see, uh, I was…" A bead of sweat rolled down her temple. Hokage-jijii sure was intimidating, even more so now when he doesn't look so much like a jijii anymore. "Well, er, I was tricked. But it went okay in the end so there's nothing to worry about-ttebayo!"

"Nothing to worry about, huh?" The Hokage stared her down wearily. "Somehow, your words have me even more worried."

"M-Maa, maa," Minato cut in, giving a small smile for the first time since she appeared in the room, and he lifted his hands as if to relieve the little tension in the room.

The Sandaime sighed. "Well, I'll see what I can find, but I won't be able to tell you until tomorrow morning." Naruto was about to protest, but he stopped her with a raise of his hand. "Taking a look at the scroll—which I won't permit anyone else but myself to do—will have to wait. But, before that…" He looked up from his sheets of paper and gave her a questioning look. "Naruto."

She had a heavy pout on, and it was such an adorable sight that Minato had trouble looking away from. "Yes?"

"How far into the future are you from?"

"Oh," she double-checked the calendar, and answered. "Eighteen years. I'm thirteen, so I will be born in about five years." She rubbed her neck at that; what a mind-boggling thought. She, Uzumaki Naruto, was going to be born in five years.

"I see, that far..." He stood up from his chair, and walked around the desk, to stand directly in front of her. "Naruto, everything concerning your identity and home must be kept to yourself. You understand, yes?"

The girl frowned. "Yeah…" Her brows furrowed even further. "Wait, even to you guys?"

He nodded, and explained before she could argue. "I'm sure your existence in this time is already causing ripples in the timeline, so we must try our best to prevent anymore from happening."

"B-but why?!" Naruto exclaimed, unable to comprehend as to why the Hokage doesn't see this as a valuable chance. "We could stop so many things from happening!" _Sasuke…_

"Now stop that thought. What if, for example, we somehow end up stopping you from being born? What would happen after?" Sarutobi cut in sharply. "What if the timeline becomes even more of a mess from our meddling?"  
"What if it _doesn't!_ "

"Naruto," he said her name softly, regretfully. "I don't like this anymore than you do. However it is for the best. We do not know enough about time travel, what changes in history could cause in the long run. This short-term fix could lead to a bigger threat in the future—"

"Or it could help keep Konoha safe!" She yelled with her fists clenched tightly at her sides. The girl could see where he was coming from. But Uzumaki Naruto was known for being stubborn, and she could _not_ let this chance slip from her fingers!

He sighed, and stopped her there. "Naruto, where are you from?"

"Huh?"

"Which village are you from?"

She scowled. "Konohagakure, duh." Naruto pointed right at the leaf symbol on her forehead protector, and raised her brow at the man. He chuckled.

"Exactly."

Her scowl deepened. Mad because he was making absolutely zero sense, she was about to demand he elaborate. However Sarutobi smiled warmly, and lifted his hand. He slowly, gently placed it on her head, and patted down her spiky, vibrant blonde hair. There was the look she recognized from her Jijii. The one full of warmth, love, pride. Naruto's lips parted, and suddenly her nose was stinging and her wide, watery blue eyes were blurry.

"If the future has such young and spirited Leaf shinobi such as yourself, then I'm sure our Konoha will be just fine."

Naruto couldn't say anything to that, and stayed silent as the tears that threatened to fall down her cheeks balanced precariously on her lashes. She raised her eyes up to the ceiling, willing them to go away. She was twelve, dammit! She's too old to be crying like a baby!

But one glance back to the smiling face of her future, late grandfather-figure ruined it. Fat, hot tears ran freely down her cheeks, and she quickly lifted up her sleeves to wipe them away. God, she _missed_ him.

It took her a few moments to collect herself, and the men patiently stood by her side. Shaking her head, Naruto sucked in a deep breath of air and released it shakily. She finally looked up at them, and cobalt blue eyes sharp and determined.

"So, what should we do now?"

Sarutobi chuckled, resisting the urge to ruffle her spiky hair. Which was quite a hard feat… She bears a striking resemblance to what he remembered of genin Jiraiya, and, of course… his eyes flickered to the blond man. "Well, first we must do something about your appearance," Sarutobi said, rubbing thoughtfully at his dark goatee.

She blinked.

"Huh?" Naruto looked down at her clothes. "Sure I've got a few holes and tears on my pants and sleeves, but I don't think I look that bad, do I?"

Minato chuckled, and answered for the older man. "No, Naruto, I believe he was referring to… your face."

"Wha— _rude_!" She cried, absolutely affronted. "What's wrong with my face-ttebayo!" She patted her face, and held her cheeks protectively.

"Oh, no, that's not what I meant…" The blond man cringed, unsure of how to go about easing the offended young Naruto. "It's just… you have a very… distinct face, and hair color. Enough so that people may remember them later, when the real you is born."

Minato turned his head slightly to take a closer look at the girl. "You said you were… thirteen?"

"Yeah."

He took a good look at her, unable to quell the emotions that bubbled in his chest at the sight of Uzumaki Naruto. Oh, she looked so much like himself, it frankly scared the man. _She is, undoubtedly—_

"Wait," she frowned deeply, looking cross-eyed at the wisps of blonde hair she had in her fingers, and up at his. "Your hair color ain't that different!" She cried indignantly.

His had a darker shade, if one was to be critical, but really, they were pretty much the same.

It was then that her eyes narrowed, as it went to his face. They scanned his blue eyes, and his spikey blond hair, and her eyes became slits from squinting. Then, they widened.

"You!" She suddenly shouted, causing both men to start, and jabbed a finger at him.

He cocked his head to the side, "Me?"

Her mouth fell open in absolute shock. "Y-You're the Fourth Hokage!"

He paused.

" _What_."

* * *

After that Naruto had a tough time trying to keep her starry eyes off the blond man. This… This was the man who managed to turn the tide of the war in Konoha's favour by blowing up a passage—or was it a bridge? She cursed not listening in class more than anything now—that Iwagakure had needed for their supply line. Konoha's Yellow Flash. The youngest Kage in all of history. _The_ Namikaze Minato _._

Naruto wanted to slap herself. It was so obvious, she can't believe she didn't recognize him sooner! She had stared up at the Yondaime's sculpted head for so long, she could remember every line, every edge by now. _Though_ , she thought with her eyes transfixed on his face, _he looks_ so _much better in real life._ A faint blush dusted her cheeks.

Even knowing that it was him who'd slapped the seal trapping the nine-tailed beast in her gut couldn't dampened her deep admiration for the late—now alive—Hokage. Here was the hero she had always dreamed to be, right in front of her.

"Um… Naruto? Were you listening?" The hero tried to catch her attention, and it was then that the young girl noticed he wasn't just moving his mouth, but talking to _her._

"Hai, Minato-sama?"

"Uh," the Namikaze looked to the Third for guidance, but found that he was met with a blank stare. He, Sarutobi Hiruzen, gets called _old gramps_ , while Minato gets addressed with respect fit enough for the Hokage— _which should be me?_ The Third grumbled miserably to himself, but Minato caught it. _Oh no..._ "N-Now, now, Naruto, just Minato is fine."

"Minato-sama."

When the air around the man next to him darkened, Minato grimaced. Figuring the girl wouldn't budge from it anytime soon, he decided to move on quickly. " _Sandaime-samaー_ " he stressed, hoping she'd take the hint. Naruto didn't. "ーtold you that you need to wear a mask from now on." The girl blinked up at him, then the Sandaime.

"A mask?"

The Third Hokage sighed, and waved his hand at Minato, signalling for him to explain because _clearly_ the blonde would prefer listening to _him._ Minato kept his exasperation to himself. "A henge would raise suspicion from those who might notice it, and it wouldn't be practical. We don't know how long you would have to stay here until we find a solution, after all. It could be months, it could be years… It could even be the rest of your life. We need you to wear a mask so no one else but us would be able to recognize the future you as, well… _you_." He sighed, and looked almost apologetic. "This will not only be quite... troublesome, but also difficult for you, especially if we don't find a way to send you back. Except for those who know of your true identity, people you might—no, willーcome to know and hold close… they would not be allowed to see you behind that mask."

Naruto was silent as she processed his words, clenching her fists. "Alright, I guess that makes sense-ttebayo." She nodded her head once, and crossed her arms.

A stubborn look that demanded absolute agreement was now planted on her face.

"But it better be a badass mask!"

* * *

"I ask for a badass mask and you hand me a _rabbit_?" Naruto looked down at the unpainted white mask on her hands in disbelief. "I _refuse_ -ttebayo!"

Hiruzen sighed, "It is one of the few clean masks we have left at the moment, and making a new one would take too long." He searched the chest further, before looking down at another. "A lot in this batch have cracks and stains that can't be fixed." He now regretted sending Minato off to retrieve Kushina; he was starting to get exhausted from dealing with the child's discontent.

"Hey, hey, Jijii, how about this one?"

He turned to look at the white kitsune mask in her hands. The inside of the short, pointy ears were painted red, as was the mouth of the snout. The eyeholes were long slits that pointed down towards the nose. "Ah, yes, if you're alright with the scratches on it. But are you sure you want the fox mask?"

"Oh... it's supposed to be a fox?" She moved the mask around, examining it. Then, she smirked to herself. "Cool."

She then closed the lid to the chest she got the mask out of, and turned to Hiruzen.

"I'll fix it up, but the mask could use a bit more decorating, don't ya think?" She grinned mischievously.

His brows furrowed slightly, but he relented. "Make sure you don't go over the top with it," he said carefully. "Simple, keep it red and black." She pouted. So maybe she did want to paint it orange, and maybe make it all fancy like adding swirls or something, but could she help it? It was so _bland_!

"Yeah, yeah. I'll just add whiskers or something." She then smiled, pointing to her forehead protector. "Can't forget about this, too. I'll hafta draw it on!"

Sarutobi chuckled. A thought came to mind. "May I paint on the whiskers for you, Naruto?"

She squinted her eyes at him, suspicious. "You're not gonna make them weird, are ya?"

"No, no. I assure you, I can draw some very handsome whiskers."

She huffed. "You better, Jijii, or else all my trust in you will be going down the drain-ttebayo."

An amiable silence fell between them as they cleaned up. She was rubbing the dust away from the mask, when he spoke again. "You know, Naruto, the rabbit is symbolic for many good things." He smiled at her. "It represents hope, and luck."

She held the mask protectively to her chest, and scowled. "Uh-huh, what else?"

He rubbed at his goatee, thinking. "Ah, well, there is one legend about the rabbit you might like. Would you like to hear it?"

She shrugged, "Sure." Despite her nonchalant reply, she, truthfully, was more than willing to hear whatever he wanted to talk about. His voice was less rough, raspy than it had been in the future, probably from all the pipes he's smoked, but it was still the same voice. Listening to him talk made her feel at ease, and happy. She wanted him to keep talk to her.

He spoke about how once there was an old man who was terribly famished. Three creatures came up to him, and he begged for food from them: the monkey, the fox, and the rabbit. The monkey offered his fruits. The fox stole a lizard and milk for him. The rabbit however…

The rabbit, who could do nothing but gather grass, offered its own body for the old man. The rabbit jumped into the old man's fire, but found that it did not get burned from its flames. The old man then revealed himself to be Sakra, ruler of the Heavens. Sakra had been so moved by its virtue, that he drew an image of the rabbit onto the moon for all to see.

When the Sarutobi finished the tale, he found that the girl was nodding to herself. "Of course I'm sticking to the cooler one but…" She grinned up at him, "I like that story."

He chuckled softly, and ruffled her hair.

"I quite like it myself, too, Naruto."

* * *

Uzumaki Kushina turned away from her boyfriend, a frown still etched on her face. This better be some big news. She had just gotten home from her week-long mission this morning, and had planned on spending the rest of the day on the couch. But then Minato just _had_ to knock on her door and tell her they needed to be at the Hokage's office only less than half an our later! God, her poor, aching feet...

The doorknob turned behind her and Kushina whirled around to see the Sandaime walking in, with a blonde, orange-clad girl following close behind. Kushina studied the girl's porcelain mask, taking note of the small leaf insignia at the forehead and three short, black, parallel lines on both cheeks. _No…_ She furrowed her brows. Those were trigrams.

"Hokage-sama," she greeted respectfully with a bow.

"Kushina, thank you for coming in on such short notice." He told her apologetically, and turned to the girl next to him. "I can trust no one other than you two to deal with this little one here. Naruto, you can take it off."

"I'm thirteen, Jijii." The 'little one' spoke up, sounding rather irritated, and brought her hand to her mask to remove the kitsune mask. The redhead blinked in surprise. She was so short, Kushina had assumed she was at least a couple of years younger… She then blanched. The nerve the blonde had, calling the _Hokage_ of all people gramps!

But when she saw her unhidden face, the tongue-lashing she intended on giving her died at her lips. Her jaw slackened, and her eyes were getting rounder and rounder by the second as it took in every facial feature of the young 'Naruto'.

She was speechless, because it was as if she was looking right at a younger Minato.

The Sandaime chuckled, and ruffled the Minato-look-alike's blonde hair. He then walked leisurely to his chair, and faced the three in front of him. Kushina didn'tーno, _couldn'tー_ take her eyes off the little Minato, until the Hokage spoke. "Everything will be explained later, Kushina, but for now I'd like to get straight to the point."

Naruto went up to them and faced her. "Hiya, I'm Naruto." She brought her right arm up.

"I'm assigning the both of you the task of training young Naruto here in the sealing arts."

Kushina's already wide eyes widened even further, and she sneaked a peek up at Minato. He didn't seem the least bit surprised, and she wanted to punch him for it. He could have told her about what she was summoned for beforehand at least!

She then glanced back down at the expectant hand, and slowly met it with her own. "Uzumaki Kushina," she said, and blinked when the grip on her hand tightened. The redhead raised a brow at the gaping girl in front of her, puzzled. The grip was gone after a second and the blonde had stepped back quietly, but still had her eyes staring in awe. As the Hokage began talking again, Kushina tried to listen, but found difficulty as the gaze boring into her was quite distracting.

It shouldn't come to a surprise that there'd be another Uzumaki in the village two decades before she existed, but it did put all sorts of thoughts in her head. Who was this woman? Naruto studied every feature of the redhead. Nope, she definitely wasn't around in the future. Did she know her parents? Naruto half-hoped and half-dreaded the answer. She guess she could find out about the fellow Uzumaki later, though. She had the time. She pictured up things she could check out while she was here. 5 years before she was born. A small smile grew on her lips. Would Kakashi-sensei still be the infuriating man he always was in her time? She wondered at that. How old was her sensei, anyways? That gravity defying grey hair had really made him seem ancient to her at first, but spending more time with him made her doubt he was past thirty. Mid-twenties, maybe. He was lazy (though not as lazy as Shikamaru, but close), but not old. There were no lines marring the only visible part of the man's face. No crow's feet, no wrinkles.

Naruto's eyes then drifted to the Hokage's big windows, and widened. Boy, did the village look different. She hadn't gotten a look around her when she was dragged to the Konoha Police, too busy yelling obscenities and trying to make the hag let go. Naruto began walking closer to the view, transfixed. The Hokage Mountain was of course one of the biggest changes, but there were more buildings, more variety of shapes, sizes, and color here. Well, she thought after a moment. A lot could happen in 18 years, after all. Like the Kyuubi attack, for one.

Her hand went right to her stomach.

She had always left very early in the classes concerning the Nine-Tails. Naruto was always gone for a lot of classes, of course, but the ones about the monster she always made sure she missed. Why? Because the hatred in the teachers' eyes would grow stronger, more narrowed in on her. For the longest time, she didn't know why. Her naïve mind had always assumed it was because her birthday was the same date as the attack. Which wasn't exactly too far off the mark. She still just happened to be a coincidental victim, a scapegoat. She didn't have a choice in when she was born, and she certainly didn't have a choice in being the jinchuuriki.

It wasn't until after she was told about the beast in her gut that she went to find out about the Kyuubi on her own. The Hokage was busy of course so she had to go to the books (which wasn't as bad as she dreaded it would be. Much to her surprise, she found that she liked to read when it wasn't homework).

The questions she had back then that she hadn't been able to find answers to came back. Why was the Kyuubi attack so sudden? Her old man had always been so tightlipped whenever she brought anything about October the 10th up. All the sources of information she had on the tragic event were brief, and always stated that the Nine-Tailed Beast had appeared almost out of thin air. There was one small journal she found, that suggested it had been summoned, and another hinting that the Uchiha had something to do with it. She had saved those articles, even if they sounded like they were written by some loonies, to question the Sandaime about for later... but he had died before she could get around to doing that.

While the girl was distracted, the Sandaime continued talking to the couple in front of him. "Minato, Kushina, you are one of my best young jounin and seal-masters. I would ask Jiraiya but I need him out of the village, and I can't risk having her out there. I want you two to train her, especially in fūinjutsu."

"H-Hokage-sama," her voice was unsure, wary. "May I ask why? Teaching the art would take quite an amount of time and dedication on both parts, something that I'm not sure we have can afford to spare enough of."

"I have a great feeling she'll need it," He said wryly, sporting a wry look that Minato reciprocated, much to Kushina's confusion. "You'll be fully compensated for your work. And don't worry, I'm sure she'll be easy to teach." Sarutobi smiled to himself; the girl was their child, after all. "Plus, she isn't a complete beginner. Isn't that right, Naruto?"

Naruto's ear twitched at the mention of her name, and she turned to the Sandaime, "Huh? Oh, yeah," she simply said, and turned back to the window. She pressed her hands and face further against it. "I've read a couple of books."

Kushina raised a brow, clearly unimpressed.

Hiruzen turned to Namikaze Minato, seeing nothing but his usual collected face. "And Minato, your genin team will now consist of Uchiha Obito, Nohara Rin, and Naruto for the time being." Both blonds blinked. Naruto sharply turned her head towards the blond man, eyes sparkling brightly through the slits of her mask. _Holy shit, she's in the_ Yondaime's _team!_ "Their graduation should be in a week and a bit, if I remember correctly."

"What about Hatake Kakashi, Sandaime-sama?"

"He will stiill join youーnow your teamーfor missions and training. It may be a little unorthodox, but I'd like for you to work as a four-man cell, until we find Naruto a way back."

Kushina raised a brow, but kept silent, despite the question ringing loud in her mind. Where did the girl come from, and why couldn't she go back?

"What should we do about Naruto until the Academy's graduation, do you suppose? Start her training?" Minato asked.

The man sighed. "Yes, I'd like for you to start as soon as possible. Thankfully we've just entered a time of peace. Might as well take advantage of it." He took out a piece of paper, and started writing. "Please assess the girl's abilities tomorrow and inform me of the results. I would like for the both of you after that to start training her for the next few days in fuinjutsu, and possibly whatever else she may need help with whenever you can."

Minato nodded, but Kushina kept still, her eyes narrowed. She was absolutely confused, as she was kept in the dark about what was so special about this new girl. She turned to Minato, who noticed her gaze and gave a reassuring smile. Kushina frowned even more, but nodded.

"Well, you can count on us. We'll whip her up real good-ttebane!"

* * *

…Is what she said but, honestly, how long would it take? Teaching _Minato_ fūinjutsu took a couple of years, but it was _only_ a couple of years because he was such a fast and keen learner!

She studied the masked blonde, Naruto, measuring her up. She was around the same age as Minato and Kushina were when the latter taught the former fuinjutsu. They stopped at Minato's apartment, and Kushina could tell the girl next to her was oddly excited to see his home. Kushina pouted.

 _And it's not fair-ttebane!_ She huffed in her mind as she unlocked the door, letting the blonde in. She was apparently to stay here for the time being until they could find her a place. _Why does she get to live with Minato_ _before me, his_ girlfriend _?!_ Yes, she was jealous of a thirteen-year-old girl, but who could blame her?

As if she had sensed her thoughts Naruto asked her, "Hey, Kushina-neechan, are you Minato-sama's girlfriend?"

Kushina flinched, _could the girl read her mind?!_ "Y-Yeah, why?" and… did she just call him Minato'-sama'?

Suddenly the girl was in front of her, and Kushina could feel the excitement shooting out of the slitted eyeholes. "Really! Can you tell me what he's like?"

"Huh?"

"Like, like, like, y'know, his personality, what he, uh," Naruto paused to think. "Yeah! What he likes and dislikes, his hobbies, his dreams—"

Kushina shoved her face away from her stomach, mildly freaked out. "Okay, stop right there, honey." She bent down, so she was eye to eye with the girl. "Ask those questions to the man himself."

The girl visibly wilted, before her stomach suddenly rumbled.

"Oh," Kushina blinked. "Hold on, I think he's got some cup ramen stashed around somewhere 'cause I'm always popping by."

At the mention of ramen, Naruto jumped, "Ramen?!" She chanted the word happily, and ran to the kitchen. "Fuck yeah! You like ramen too!"

Somewhere along the way, Kushina's worries about the girl flew away as she talked to the girl heatedly about the wonderful ramen, the wonders of the beautiful ramen, and the beauties of God's gift, ramen. Yes, because surely, if this girl loves it as much as she did, then surely she'll be just as awesome as she is!

* * *

By the time Minato came home it was already evening, and the skies were dimming. He entered the comfort of his home, sighing exhaustedly.

"Tadaー" His words died short as he heard loud bickering coming from his living room.

"Miso!" He heard as he walked in, only to see the younger Uzumaki grinding heads with the older Uzumaki.

Kushina stomped. "Salt!"

"No, _miso-_ ttebayo!" Naruto stomped louder.

"No, _salt-_ ttebane! S. A. L. T!" Kushina grabbed the girl's collar, red mane rising in nine thick locks threateningly.

"M. I. S. O. Miso!" Naruto shrieked in the older female's strong hold, and Minato covered his ears.

"What the hell is going on here?"

He regretted raising his voice the moment both turned sharply towards him, eyes promising death. Both stomped their way towards him.

"Minato-sam—" The tiny girl was shoved right out of the way, as Kushina stood right in front of him.

"Welcome back, Minato," Kushina's voice was saccharine.

"A-Aa, what's wrong, you two?" He forced a smile, sweat rolling down the side of his face at their darkening faces. "What, uh, were the two of you fighting about?"

"Which do you prefer, Minato, miso or **salt** ramen?" Kushina asked, making it clear what she expected his answer should be. When the poor man didn't answer, she stood on her toes and draped her slender arms around his shoulders. Her face was too close to his neck! A child ( _possibly their child!)_ was in the room! Her hot breath was tickling his ear! Minato's face was suddenly burning.

"U-Uh, I think I like s—" His eyes connected to Naruto's teary eyes, so full of heart-wrenching sadness. "I—I like…"

He gulped.

"…How about shoyu?"

* * *

Naruto had gone to take a walk, and it was just the two of them now. "So are you going to tell me exactly what's going on?" Kushina raised a brow expectantly, resting her hands on her hips.

Minato smiled, and sat at the dining table. "It's been a rather wild afternoon," he began, and waited until she sat in front of him with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Apparently, Naruto suddenly appeared in a civilian's home." Her brows furrowed. _What_. "She was taken to the police, then brought to the Hokage's tower, then..."

He chuckled, scratching his cheek. "Well, she came barging into the office, claiming that the Sandaime Hokage shouldn't be alive, and shouldn't be so young-looking."

Kushina's mouth flew open. She searched his face, disbelieving. Of all things she had expected him to say, this was definitely not one of them. Her indigo eyes then narrowed in on him dangerously, and she stood to take one slipper off and raise it at him threateningly. "Do you think I'm an idiot-ttebane?!"

He tried to calm the offended redhead—whose hair was starting to rise—by quickly shaking his head. "No, no, I'm serious, Kushina!"

For a tense moment, Kushina was silent. The hand holding up the green slipper gradually sank. "Are you trying to tell me that that tiny brat is a time traveler?"

"Unfortunately, yes." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, and waited until she sat back down. He eyed the footwear still held in her hand warily. "She somehow managed to make a time travel seal from the Forbidden Scroll work—b-but it wasn't on purpose!" He quickly said, arms up to defend himself against the fury in the woman's face.

She kept her eyes on him for a moment, searching for any proof of a lie. Kushina then sighed, folding her arms to her chest again, and looked away. "Is that why we're teaching her sealing?"

Minato paused, hesitating. "Yeah, partly, I think."

"Partly?"

Kushina scowled at his obvious reluctance to continue, and kicked his shin.

"Ow!"

"Partly?" She repeated, glaring.

He bent down to rub his hurt leg gingerly, and glared weakly back. "She said she was supposed to go on an intensive training trip..." Minato then swallowed, unable to meet her eyes.

"There's more, isn't there?" Kushina pressed, impatient. His tense shoulders gave it away. "Come on, spit it out-ttebane!"

Minato whispered.

"I can't hear you-ttebane!"

"I think she might be our _child_ , Kushina." This time, his whisper was loud enough for her to hear. Kushina's eyes became impossibly wide.

"W-W-Wha—" she stuttered and stopped, blushing furiously. Her silence willed him to continue.

"She said her name was Uzumaki Naruto," Minato said as he finally looked at her, and searched her red face.

Kushina gazed down at her hands, almost in awe. Was that why the blonde little girl had reacted so oddly at her name? "But… she doesn't know either of us."

Both were silent after that, neither daring to say what they had concluded in their minds.

They were orphans too.

Minato took hold of her warm, feminine hands, and rubbed soft circles on the back of them. "She says she's from 18 years into the future."

Kushina swallowed at that. They were going to have a baby in half a decade?

She tightened her hands around his, and tested the name on her lips.

"Naruto…"

Minato smiled, and leaned over the table.

"Naruto."

* * *

Naruto sat atop the Third's head, gazing down at the brightly lit village. The night breeze was nice, she thought passively as it brushed through her hair.

After making sure that no one else was nearby, she took off the mask. She rested her head on left palm, casually gazing at the white face staring back at her. She then flipped the mask over to see the back.

She inspected the small seal placed right where her nose should go. "Fuinjutsu's real useful… I never knew this was how they put these on."

She placed it back onto her face, sending a small pulse of chakra to her hand holding the mask. Once it was secure, she released it.

She then thought back to Konoha… No, _her_ Konoha. She wondered what happened after Sakura-chan saw her disappear. She wondered if Kakashi was mad that she forgot about training. Naruto paused. Nah, he wouldn't be when she was missing… What they would care about was her missing, right? She really hoped there was a solution to get back, but from the way the old man—not so old anymore now though—and Minato-sama had put it, it would take a while (if not impossible, but she tried not to think about that)… What then? Would she bother going back? What would happen if she were to go back that late?

Would she end up thirteen again in her original time, like she was supposed to be?

Or would she end up in front of a much younger Sakura, years older than she was supposed to be?

Naruto shook her head as if to rid it of the various scenarios she thought up. She then lied on her back, folding her arms behind her head.

The stars looked brighter here, she thought.

She stared at the white, white moon, and spoke to it. "I was supposed to go on a training trip with Ero-sennin, y'know?

"Get stronger and faster and better. Strong, and fast, and good enough to bring him back..."

She was back in a time where it might be possible to change it all. Yet she wasn't permitted to.

But did she really want to?

To save them, that would mean she would have to stay, to sacrifice everything she came to know and love, everything she could have had and achieved.

She was not a selfish personーat least, not when it came to the lives of those she cared most about, her precious people. However, how could she let go, truly, when her life had just turned around? When she suddenly had people to call precious, people she loved and knew loved her? She could count the number of people she could turn to when she was little on one hand but now... Now, she had made dear friends even from Wave and Suna. Bonds. She would have made even more, she knew. Everything just began for her. Everything she gained, everything she lost... Up until this point, what would all of that have been for?

 _Nothing,_ an angry voice, one so filled with hate and sorrow spat from the back of her mind.

She closed her eyesー

 **"** **Life is not fair. Surely, you have realized at least that by now."**

ーand opened them again, wide. She whipped her head around, looking for the source of that voice until she realized _whose_ voice that was.

 _Kyuubi!_

 **"** **Uzumaki Naruto,"** He spat from the depths of her mind, and yet it was so loud and clear in her ears.

The Nine-Tails' voice always held his unadulterated hatred of her, of Konoha, of _humans_ , but Naruto had never felt it shake her core as much as it did that instant.

 **"You've really done it this time, haven't you?"** He let out a sinister chuckle, one that sent shivers down her spine and made her mouth suddenly as dry as the Wind Country's deserts.

"H-How are you able to talk to me?" Her voice shook so much it was a wonder how it managed to come out at all. Dread filled her to the core. How? He has never been able to talk to her outside of her subconscious. _She_ always had to go to _him_.

Her question was met with silence.

"Answer me!"

She heard him release a low, condescending huff. **"It's almost amusing how you believe everything would be handed to you on a silver platter by demanding like a child."** She bristled, yet kept silent. He then chuckled menacingly. **"Because that's what you are, a pathetic little child."**

Naruto sucked in a breath sharply. She immediately closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she let out a yelp. There was the beastly demon behind the tall cell. No visible change in the seal and the bars that kept the fox in. Nothing different that she could see. Relieved, she took a step closer.

Only to jump hastily back when the Kyuubi's paw-hand slammed against the iron bars. Its long, sharp claws ended a mere few inches away from Naruto's paling face.

Here, inside her mind, his voice boomed and echoed. **"I suppose I'll entertain you."**

Her eyes hid none of her immense fear as she stared nearly cross-eyed at the claw closest to her nose.

 **"You've managed to make the Hakke no Fūin Shiki open wider by pouring so much of my chakra into Tobirama's seal."** His great long tails flickered, and his black lips stretched wide to reveal a sharp set of fangs.

"What…?"

 **"** **Your precious Yondaime made a crack in this wretched seal thinking** ** _you_** **could use my chakra."** He scoffed, and retracted his hand to slam it down on the ground. Waves of water were forced away from it. **"Well, you really needed the help, otherwise you'd be _dead._ "**

Naruto was about to shout at him not to insult the Fourth Hokage, but stopped short when she realized his words. "He thought I could use your chakra? What do you mean?"

Foam the color of fire spread from within his cage towards her and when Naruto noticed them she jumped back hastily. Her feet clumsily knocked against each other and she tripped backwards.

 **"Luck is now finally by my side... The fool made** **things so much** ** _easier_ for me** **,"** he sneered, as he slowly went back into the shadows. The foam was bubbling up as it was close to reaching her feet. **"I didn't think I would be getting my long awaited freedom so** ** _soon._** **"**

Her wide eyes connected to blood red, demonic ones glinting from the darkness behind the prison.

The foam, Kyuubi's chakra bubbled violently as it spread around her.

 **"** **Soon…"**

* * *

Naruto had arrived back in a daze late last night, and was given a tongue-lashing by one, very angry Uzumaki Kushina. Both the woman and Minato had gotten worried because she had been gone for so long, to which Naruto could only apologize profusely, stating that she had gotten lost—not entirely a lie, as she did get lost for a good ten minutes finding the right block.

After some more scolding, Kushina had left with a kiss to Minato's cheek and a hug to Naruto, leaving both stunned and flushed.

It was now the next morning, and all three were at to the Hokage tower. Naruto yawned loudly, wanting to rub the sleep out of her eyes. _If only this darn mask wasn't in the way…_ She barely slept a wink as thoughts of the nine-tailed best had plagued all night.

"Minato, you've told Kushina, I hope?" At his nod, the Sandaime continued. "Good. It is as we feared, there is no countermeasure on this technique, Naruto."

The girl clenched her fists tightly. Her nails dug painfully into her palms. "Nothing?"

His eyes were grave, and she gritted her teeth. "You could go back but not forwards with Tobirama's seal. We can find a way to change that, but the fact that this is an incomplete jutsu… I don't know how you managed to make it work, but trying to make you a way back either way is nigh impossible."

"Wait, doesn't that mean that there is still a tiny chance?!" She slammed her hands at his desk, eyes begging.

He could only give her a gaze filled with regret and pity. "I'm sorry, Naruto, but it is a risk we cannot have you take."

All she could do then was stand there, hands slowly retracting back as she moved her gaze down to the floor in despair. All she could do was think about everyone she was leaving behind in the future. All she could feel was the precious bonds she held so dear pull painfully from her heart.

"Then… Then… I'm stuck here?"

Tension permeated the room, and Kushina hesitantly approached her. "I'm sorry, Naruto." When the tiny girl's hunched shoulders trembled, she placed a hand on one gently.

She empathized. There was one time, years ago, when she was suddenly been pulled away from home, away from the ones she grew to care about here in Konoha (though she didn't admit it back then)...

Naruto suddenly stood up, and the woman jumped in surprise. The girl mumbled something under her breath, something she couldn't catch.

Kushina bowed down slightly, to hear her better. "Naruto?" The girl looked up at her with a sudden fire in her eyes, and knocked the older Uzumaki's hand away.

"No," Naruto then glared at the Hokage, "I will not give up-ttebayo!"

Her words made their eyes widen. Kushina furrowed her brows and approached the girl. She tried to reach out again, but stopped when the girl tensed up. "Naruto," she said softly, "we understand this is hard, but you need to accept—"

"I can't!" Naruto's growl made the woman flinch back. "They're waiting for me."

 _You haven't been by much lately now that you're busy with all your missions, Ayame's been worrying, y'know!_

"I've got to go back."

 _Hurry up, brat, I've got research to do!_

If she doesn't, if she fails to return to her time... what will Akatsuki do? Dread filled her. They'll stop at nothing to get their hands on all of the tailed beasts. They might—no, will—attack Konoha to find her.

Shaking her head, Naruto jumped back to face all three. She scowled determinedly. "If there is no way back I will find one! I will find it, and take the risk-ttebayo!" Minato narrowed his eyes.

"You might die, Naruto. It's too dangerous." He stepped closer to the blonde, intent on getting it in her head that—"We can't let you be reckless!"

 _Naruto, you dolt! Get it in your thick skull that you should think before you jump!_

 _Hn, it's a saying, dobe. Sakura, if she hasn't got a brain how do you expect her to think?_

 _Don't rile her up, Sasuke-kun!_

 _Maa, maa, I'm sure she will grow one eventually._

"I shouldn't be here to begin with." She snapped back. "I don't belong here... I belong _there_. I need to go back home!"

 _She isn't the monster fox; she's a member of Konohagakure. She is—_

"I am Uzumaki Naruto, and Uzumaki Naruto never gives up-ttebayo!"

* * *

 **"If I am right, I believe you are from the future." - taken right from _Lost Tower._**

I based Minato and Hiruzen's reactions on Minato's from _Lost Tower,_ the fourth Shippuden movie. Y'all should watch it if you haven't already. Please. Watch it.

 **Now, about Naruto's mask...**

(If you want to know how it looks, it's the cover image of this fanfic.)

I thought it best to cover her up 'cause honestly, she's too recognizable. And I didn't want to use just any mask (though i almost settled on the rabbit), so I borrowed Menma's (the Naruto counterpart in _Road to Ninja_ ). I changed it quite a bit, though. The shape is the same, it's just the design I toned down first. I got rid of the patterns except for the ones on the ears and mouth/snout/cheeks (the red line that kinda strikes from one cheek to the other and becomes fatter in the middle). Then added the whiskers, and leaf insignia, where the 'third eye' (I think that's what the thing on the original was?) should be.

And... If you need any more convincing on why it should be this mask...

Don't those pointy ears look a lot like horns? Heh.

 **Now the trigrams on both sides of Naruto's mask...**

I did a lot of researching on Naruto wikia, and found that Sai's seal-the seal Danzo places on all his Root agents' tongues-are actually one of the hexagrams from I Ching or something, a text from an ancient Chinese classic. So are the whiskers on Naruto's face when he goes Yang Kurama Mode, which is where the idea of putting this specific kind of whiskers on Naruto's mask comes from. Each cheek has three parallel lines, and they're called _tiān_ (Heaven). When the two are stacked together they turn into a symbol called _qián_ , and it's the symbol for Force. Acc. to Wikipedia, other variations include "the creative", "strong action", "the key", and "god".

Ain't that pretty cool?

 **I use mostly this timeline, by the way: www wattpad com** and add **/193847765-naruto-timeline-naruto-universe-timeline#** But it won't be exactly the same, cuz dammit Kishimoto, Naruto's full of plotholes and timeline errors and I know it's hard to keep track of everything but still...Mhhhh


	3. A Pickle

**Omake from last chapter**

"So what part of me did she inherit-ttebane!" Kushina demanded, thoroughly put out.

Minato chuckled, _oh, definitely that adorable pout_. Then he saw the outrage on her face, and paled. "A-Ah, I wish she could've gotten your red hair, but I love how she has your fiery personality."

"Really? I don't see it." He merely smiled at that. Kushina glared at him, before giving an exaggerated sigh. "I guess even the Uzumaki genes were no match for the Namikaze genes, huh." She huffed, and crossed her arms. Minato thought carefully. Then his face lit up.

"She does have your verbal tic—"

"That's the one thing I didn't want to pass down-ttebane!"

* * *

 _YEAR 46, second day into the past_

* * *

Her words had left them in silence.

Then, Hiruzen sighed. "Is that your answer, Naruto?"

She nodded firmly, daring him to try to say no.

"Very, well." Minato's eyes widened, as Kushina whipped her head back to gape at the man's reply.

"Hokage-sama!"

The Sarutobi paid the shocked voices of his two shinobi little mind, instead keeping his eyes trained on the girl standing in front of him, whose hands were again now on his desk. She was leaning in and there was so much hope in her eyes, as the sharp look of defiance melted away to deep desperation.

"Two years. I'll give you two years," he said finally, his gaze locked onto eyes made a night blue from the shadows of the porcelain mask. There was determination and passion he hadn't seen in what felt like years.

"I mean no disrespect, Hokage-sama, but surely you can't expect her to master fuuinjutsu, then find her own remedy to this within a short span of two years?" Surprisingly it was the usually collected Minato who spoke up and not Kushina, who—though toned down since entering adulthood—was usually the more easily riled of the two.

The Hokage closed his eyes as he addressed the blond. "Look at her carefully, Minato, Kushina. Does it look like we can change her mind?"

Doing as instructed, Minato resisted the temptation to react to the determination he saw in the little girl's firm posture and her tight, balled fists. _God,_ his hands fell by his sides slowly as a memory of his girlfriend back in their academy days reemerged from the depths of his mind. _It's like looking at a younger Kushina_.

He remembered the peek of a spiral symbol through thick, crimson tresses on a trembling back. He remembered the instant those red tresses moved along with her as she turned to glare firmly at him… no, at them, _then_ him. He remembered the Kushina in front of him back then and saw the woman next to him now. Kushina, who never backed down from a fight.

There were just a few things Namikaze Minato could not stand about his girlfriend. Her pigheaded stubbornness was one of them.

And, of course, there were many, endless things Namikaze Minato loved about his girlfriend. Her pigheaded stubbornness had always been one of them.

He turned to the woman, who was sighing exasperatedly, and smiled. "I guess it's up to us to make sure she finds her way back home, Kushina."

Both Uzumakis looked up at him, one grinning and the other scowling even more.

Naruto turned back to the Sandaime, a deeply fond smile at her lips. "I like how you're the same nice old 'kage."

Hiruzen blinked. So he was still Hokage even so far into the future, after she was born? Hadn't Minato taken the hat? He did _not_ want to still be doing endless paperwork in the future, dear heavens…

"Well, now that that's settled," Naruto began, clapping her hands together, "I'm gonna go check out the streets! See yall later!"

"Ah, Naruto, we still have things—" Minato began, but was too late as the girl was already out the door and cackling down the hall. "—to do." He finished off lamely.

Kushina tugged at her red hair, and shrieked, "That cheeky little brat!" She glared at the man behind her, "Hokage-sama, why are you laughing?!"

* * *

Naruto was strolling down the streets with a skip in her steps, not minding the people's gazes. It felt good to not be glared at by all the civilians for once! Her eyes took in the many differences. The clothes look completely different for starters. Though she didn't have much knowledge on fashion and the like, even Naruto could tell that these clothes are what Sakura and Ino would call old-fashioned. She liked them, though. There were quite some bright colors, and not as formfitting as the outfits from her time.

She then noticed something was very wrong.

"Where the hell's Ichiraku?!" Many flinched at the shrill cry of her voice, but she paid them no mind as she hastily walked through the street.

Not here, not there, not anywhere!

A thought dawned on her. Was she too early? Was Ichiraku not open yet? 18 years is a long time… what if it opened after she was born? Would she have to wait 'til she found a way home? Her face paled drastically at the thought. No, no, no! She can't wait that long!

Her stomach rumbled loudly, and she looked down at it in surprise. Urgh, she just ate this morning, and Minato had cooked so much for her, how was she still so hungry? She hasn't felt any better from yesterday, either, though that may be because she was kept up practically all night with nightmares of the Nine-Tails... Naruto then scavenged the area, looking for a good replacement.

To her disappointment, she was surrounded by udon stands. Udon! That bland, blasphemous, imitation of—

She stopped at a fruit's vendor. That was one shiny looking apple. Normally she was not one for such healthy snacks, and was about to turn away until a reprimanding voice yelled from the back of her mind.

 _Naruto, you should really start eating more vegetables and fruits!_ Reprimanding, but warm. Memories of pink hair and berry perfume. Or maybe it was her shampoo, Naruto could never really tell, just that Sakura had always smelled nice. After they got to know each other, ever since their first C-rank mission they grew close. If she had a sister it would probably have been a relationship like the one she had with Sakura. Although they clashed at times, they were comfortable enough with each other to know that their differences would never set them apart. They would have the other's back no matter what. Her heart ached, because who knew how long it would be before she got to see her teammate and dear friend again?

Shaking her head away from her thoughts, she turned to the shopkeeper, who was reading a newspaper. "Hey, ol' man, how much are you selling these apples for?"

The shopkeeper looked up, and was about to grumble at her for calling him old until he saw her mask. Blinking, he put the newspaper down. "Why, hello there. You one of those fancy ninja?"

When she nodded, chest puffed, his brows rose into his hairline in surprise. "But you're so short!" He chuckled, and before she could shriek in indignation he held up the apple she had been eyeing. "One hundred ryo!"

Naruto's hand went to her pocket, to get her Gama-chan—wait, where is it?! She patted down her jacket pockets, her butt pockets, her front pockets, then paled. _Shit_ , it's still at home! Eighteen years into the _future_ , home.

Her shoulders drooped, and she sighed. "Sorry, ol' man, I'll come back again next time."

He frowned, eyebrow raised. "Have you forgotten your wallet?" Her shoulders sagged even further, and he huffed, shaking his head. "Gotta eat up to grow bigger, kiddo." He looked around carefully, before bending down and lowering his voice. "Here, I'll give it to ya for free, just this once."

Under her mask, Naruto gaped. "Huh, no way!"

He shoved the fruit into her unmoving hands, and grinned. "You gotta eat healthy. Now take it, before I change my mind!"

She stood there in a daze, before snapping out of it to thank the man profusely. When he finally shooed her away, her head was high up in the clouds. She skipped until she was out of the crowded shopping district. The villagers were treating her like a fellow, normal human being. There were no hateful glares, no hatred threatening to devour her like it had to them here, in this Konoha. She bit into her apple. So this was what it's like, to be a normal child out in Konoha. Her good mood slowly shriveled up, slowly getting taken over by her less than positive thoughts. This was what it was like when you weren't the Jinchuuriki of the Monster Fox.

She held up the apple she was biting into with one hand, and shoved the other in her pocket, until she felt a sharp prick at her finger. "Hm?"

She took it out, and realized it was a folded up picture. She stared at it, down at the three faces, all wearing different expressions, below one eye-smiling man. A sad grin stretched her face as she rubbed at the photo dearly. "I wonder how you got there."

She walked with her eyes stuck on the image of her team, and was about to turn the corner.

A blur suddenly jumped out and crashed into her. "Oof!"

She groaned as she propped her upper body off the floor, eyes scrunched at the pain attacking the back of her head. "Fucking hell, that hurt!"

Naruto stood up and looked around her, trying to find the culprit, before she realized where she was. It was the same place she found Konohamaru sneaking up on her with those camouflage blankets and boxes. Shaking her head, she looked down at the boy who had knocked her down.

"You okay down there?" She poked at his ribs with her sandaled foot. She guessed it was her fault for not looking where she was going, but the boy was running!

"Urk…"

"Hm?" She squinted at him.

He had quite some shiny hair.

She reached down to turn him around, and did a double take at the bushy brows that came into view. The little boy was wearing a dusty orange scarf, and a black muscle tank top. None of his clothing was made of spandex, and there was not a speck of green in sight.

His hair reached down to his chin, but if one were to cut it into a certain bowl cut hairstyle…

It wouldn't be that farfetched to assume the boy in front of him was _him,_ would it? I mean, his hair! His eyes! His nose! His _brows!_

The boy suddenly shot up, nearly smacking his head into her face. "I am so very sorry!" He looked at her form frantically, searching. "I hope you are not hurt!"

"Uh, yeah sure, I'm fine-ttebayo." She leaned back, shoving his cheek away from her—too close! _Too close!_ "A-Are you?"

"No, I am as fit as a fiddle, not to worry!"

Naruto nodded, inching away from the boy that looked all to eager to show her just how fit he was. "Great, er, you seemed like you were in a hurry so don't mind me—"

"Oh, no, I was merely training!"

She awkwardly stood there as he began talking about his morning rituals.

Three minutes and forty-eight seconds later the boy was still heatedly talking about his laps around the district—Naruto was amazed, because it wasn't the entire village—and it was then that she noticed a bright red fire a few distances away… wait, no…

The boy had also noticed something behind her, just as she was starting to realize that that was not a blazing fire but a very angry—" _Shit_!"

"Well, look who is coming this way," he was starting to hold a hint of his future self's blinding grin, "Oi, Kaka—"

"Sorry, Gai, I gotta run, seeyounexttime _bye_!"

When he blinked and turned to look behind him, the masked blonde had already gone around the corner. A flash of a spiky blonde ponytail, and Gai was left gawking after her.

"How did that girl know my name?"

"Maybe because you told her?" A silver haired boy said as he kept his nose in his book and brushed past the gaping Gai,

"Did I?" Gai rubbed his chin and furrowed his thick brows in thought.

"This is why you'll never graduate."

The black haired boy then grinned smugly, "Actually, my friend, I already have!" He pulled up his shiny fringe and showed off the hitai-ate proudly.

Gai's friend looked up, and blinked in surprise. "Oh." The black-haired boy's grin sparkled at the boy's surprise. "Perhaps your Academy graduation was a mistake."

"Why do you have to be so hip!?"

"I _swear_ I will _throttle_ that girl!" They both turned at the sudden voice.

Kakashi jumped when he recognized it, and pried the other boy's finger's off his shoulders. "Kushina-san?" Taking in her fuming face, he questioned warily, "What's wrong?"

Kushina's head whipped around, and grinned when she realized who it was. "Oh, Kakashi! Who's that with you?"

"The name is Maito Gai, Ma'am." the boy beamed, a small blush dusting his cheeks. She was a beauty!

"How polite!" She smiled warmly as she reached them, "My name's Kushina, nice to meet you, Gai. Now Gai, Kakashi, have you two seen a girl this short—"They doubted the girl's height was truly five inches away from the floor as her hand suggested but stayed silent, "—with a fox mask?"

"I believe the girl you are looking for went that way," He pointed towards the direction the blonde had just left for.

"Thanks!" She said as she darted off, her long red hair trailing after her.

"Stop gawking at my sensei's girlfriend, you perv."

"I am no _lech_!"

* * *

Kushina had managed to catch her, and dragged Naruto all the way to the training grounds. Minato had already been there, sitting on one of the wooden posts. When he saw the girl being pulled in by the ear he chuckled, and got off to walk towards them. "Thanks for getting her, Kushina." He ruffled the blonde hair. "Now we're here because we want to see what you can do." At this, Naruto's eyes shined through her mask. She was getting to show of her skills in front of the Yondaime!

"Gotcha-ttebayo! Ooh, what should I start with first..."

"Well, you could just tell us, what you have." Minato said, wondering what she's got in her arsenal. The grin on her face wasn't looking too good...

"Well, the _Oiroke no Jutsu_ is the first technique I've ever been able to master, and the Transformation and the Substitution Jutsu. I can't make an ordinary clone, but that's okay 'cause I've got the _Kage-Bunshin_!" Naruto grinned.

Minato decided to forget about the first jutsu she mentioned. Thank god he didn't tell her to demonstrate her techniques... "The shadow clone?"

She nodded, but continued on, "Yeah, and then I learned the Toad Summoning Technique, and then the _Rasengan_! Which is your technique, isn't it?" By the end of her sentence, the redhead and blond's eyes were as round as saucers.

Minato could only stare dumbly. "You're thirteen…?"

"Yeah!"

"And you learned the Rasengan?"

"Yeah!"

"H-How long did it take you?"

"Uh," Naruto looked up at the clouds, "A little over two weeks—Minato-sama?"

"I-I'm fine…" The way the man crumpled on the grass face down told her that he was not fine.

Kushina simply cackled loudly by his side, patting—slapping—his back.

"It—took—me—three—years…" He wheezed between the slaps.

Kushina stood up, cocking her head to the side. "Well, show it, Naruto." The girl nodded.

" _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!" A shadow clone appeared, and Kushina and Minato watched, mesmerized as they saw a full, blue orb of chakra form in Naruto's hand.

Until it shifted sharply, deformed, and Naruto began to rapidly lose control of it. The ball of chakra let out a pitiful sizzle as it dissipated, leaving both the original and the clone to stare at the now empty hand in wide-eyed disbelief.

Why?! Her most favorite, most badass technique. Her pride! She must have done something wrong without realizing it, or maybe it was because her chakra was in a bit of a funk from yesterdayーshe hasn't been feeling quite the same, after allーbut how could it not work?! She was almost too scared to try again, but she had to, because it couldn't just... She _has_ to be able to do it!

No one spoke but the birds and the two Narutos before Minato spoke up, figuring they had tried enough.

"So, it still needs a little work?" Minato looked pointedly at blonde girl.

"No, I swear I got it down!" Naruto whipped her head up, eyes growing larger. He and Kushina feared it would pop out of the girl's skull at this rate. "I had used it just mere weeks ago, against—Uh..." Both did not question how the girl had suddenly shut her mouth, and shared a look.

"I see you used a shadow clone," Minato said eventually, hoping to ease the tense air around the younger blonde. "To mold the chakra into a ball?"

"Mhm," She hummed in confirmation as she snapped out of her reverie with a few blinks. "That part in learning the technique took me the longest to overcome, until I realized I could use a clone."

"Wouldn't that use up quite a bit of chakra, though?" Kushina furrowed her brows. A couple of uses of both the _Kage-Bunshin_ andーif she were to master itーthe _Rasengan_ would leave even her, with her large chakra reserves, worn out.

Naruto smirked, and brought her hands together in the ram seal.

" _Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_ "

Minato and Kushina's jaws fell at the sheer number of clones surrounding them, from the ground up to the trees. They then looked at the original, who seemed at least a little tired. "I see the time travel seal isn't the only kinjutsu you've picked up from the Forbidden Scroll," Minato commented wryly.

Naruto, along with the rest of her thousand clones, smiled sheepishly, before furrowing her brows. Her breath came out in shallow pants, as she wiped the sweat rolling down the side of her face. "It's weird, though… I could usually do this technique and more without breaking a sweat…"  
"Perhaps the seal has taken a lot more out of you than we first assumed." Kushina suggested, arms crossed as she cocked her head thoughtfully to the side. "It is an unfinished jutsu we know next to nothing about, after all."

Minato nodded in agreement, about to continue after her, when there was a sudden pop.

The pop was soon followed by many more, and smoke filled the air around them. Kushina coughed as she tried to see through it. When the smoke finally cleared, she found only one Naruto slumped on the ground, breathing more harshly than she had before. "Hey, what happened?!"

The red-haired woman immediately crouched down by her side, trying to get her attention, but the girl didn't respond. Kushina looked helplessly up at Minato, whose eyes were already on the both of them, brows knitting closely together in worry.

Naruto was too busy trying to think through the sudden airiness she felt in her mind to be able to focus on the two in front of her. The haziness was as thick as the smoke around them, and the empty feeling that Naruto had felt back when she first woke up in this world was slithering its way back. Her stomach felt oddly and uncomfortably warm, in stark contrast to her suddenly cold, numb fingers.

Finally, the empty feeling slowly started to ease away, and was replaced by a headache as Naruto looked up. She blinked in surprise at the two pairs of eyes looking directly at her. "Uh." At her sudden attention, Minato raised a brow.

"Naruto, is there something we should know about?" He stepped closer to bend down towards the blonde, trying to literally snap the vacancy out of her unusually dull blue eyes.

At the snap of his fingers, Naruto jumped. The feeling in her hands was finally coming back, and she blushed at how close the man had gotten to her face. "H-huh?"

Kushina furrowed her brows in concern. "We haven't heard from you or the Hokage if there were any side-effects affecting you from the seal." She said to the confused girl. "Well? Are there?"

Naruto blinked, looking down at her hands and feet. "Uh, not really?" They stared at her, doubt clear in their gaze. "Really! I mean, it's like when I woke up yesterday in that old hag's apartment—which should be mine, by the way—I felt like I had been trampled all over and all the energy had been sucked out of me… but other than that?" She scratched her cheek. "Now I just feel kinda woozy."

Minato ruminated carefully on her words. "Woozy," he repeated, and the frown on his face grew at her nod.

"Yeah, I'm not really sure how to describe it," she clenched and unclenched her hands, testing them. "I hadn't felt it 'til just now, after using my chakra, but it feels like I'm not really here, y'know?"

"You're here yet you're not? What do you mean?" Kushina was the one to inquire this time, digging for more out of the blonde.

"Yeah, like… like… Argh!" Naruto gripped her hair almost at her scalp, tugging harshly in frustration. "I dunno!"

Minato stopped her there, lest she rips her hair out of its roots completely. "Maa, maa… we'll just have to watch over you carefully. It seems like it happens when you use a lot of chakra, so you can't go too far with your ninjutsu."

She was about to cry out in objection, but stopped short at his glare.

"And if you feel anything out of the ordinary, anything at all, you tell us, _understood_?" He put pressure in his command, daring her to object. Naruto reluctantly gave a small nod, looking put out in having to do so.

"It's as Kushina said, we're dealing with a seal we know almost nothing about. We have to be cautious," He finally softened his features, looking almost apologetic.

"I know…" Naruto sighed. Well this was going to be rather hard, because this would mean she couldn't fight Naruto style: charge head on, and finish with a bang. "Well, now all I've got left to show is the summoning jutsu!"

Just as she was about to bring her thumb to her teeth, Minato grabbed her wrist. "Now what did I just tell you?" He reprimanded with a sigh.

"We don't even know if you're still contracted to the seal, Naruto." Kushina set her hands to her hips, face set in an exasperated scowl. "What if you end up some place far away with no means of getting back?"  
Naruto stared at her pointedly.

"Here you at least have people to turn to!" She angrily huffed, resisting the urge to bop the girl on the head.

Naruto wanted to cry out in despair. "Then what am I supposed to do?!" What did that leave her? Next to nothing! Nothing but a bunch of C-ranked earth and wind jutsus that she's never used, the shadow clone… No Rasengan, no _Multiple_ shadow clones, no summoning technique. She was back to square one!

This made her realize just how limited her abilities and arsenal of jutsu were, and it left the Uzumaki absolutely miserable. She said as much.

"Now, now, it's only until we know what's going on with you and resolve it." Minato cringed at the hopeful gleam in her eyes. "Probably." She deflated.

Kushina grinned, raising her sleeves. "Well, that just means we have to train you. Hard." Minato gulped. "Let's see your taijutsu, Naruto."

"I'll just stand by and watch you two. Over there." He pointed far off into the trees.

Naruto, ignoring her gut feeling telling her to _run,_ got into fighting position. "Bring it!"

* * *

"What the _hell_ Kushina-nee!" Naruto squawked, barely managing to dodge said woman's hair attack. "Does that even _count_ in a Taijutsu match?!"

"Of course it does!" The woman shouted back gleefully. "It's still a part of my body!" Naruto was just about to retort when red hair once again lifted and sharpened into nine, long spikes, ready to come down on her. She cursed. They looked a lot like a certain monster's tails, the blonde thought as she desperately ran for cover behind a tree.

Naruto heard the sharp thuds against thick layers of tree bark, and blanched as she turned to see the red hair embedded deeply into the tree that blocked the attack for her.

Well, at least the girl was great at taijutsu, Minato thought as he watched from a far distance. Otherwise she would have been pummeled into the ground quite a while ago. He could guess that with her astounding stamina and quick feet she would be quite a formidable opponent even for his student Kakashi. The two Uzumakis had been going at it for a while, after all, though it was more of a cat-and-mouse chase than a taijutsu match. It did make him wonder who trained her. She also had a style that was hard to predict, unconventional in the good way, from what he got to see before Kushina gotten a little serious. It was as if Naruto had gotten bits and pieces of various fighting styles and made a form out of them all on her own. Which was of course common... common for ninjas older and more experienced than a girl of her age and rank.

He was not too far off the mark, as that is exactly what Naruto's form of taijutsu is. A mix-n-match of what she saw from other people's examples. Only she, unlike most—or anyone, for that matter—had multiple shadow clones to train with, and had the most amazing luck. Whether one saw it as a terrible or fortunate type of amazing was up to them.

She had been tricked into stealing the Forbidden Scroll. Her jounin sensei was an elite; perhaps the best of all jounins back in her Konoha. Her first C-rank was actually an A-rank. Her first Chunin Exam turned from a battle between genin to an all out battle to the death between two shinobi nations. Her best friend that she considered a brother in all but blood left her for power. She was being hunted by a group of S-ranked rogue ninjas. All her experiences had forced her to grow stronger, train better to protect herself and her precious people.

When Kushina finally stopped the spar—though Minato suspected it was more of revenge on the poor girl—he walked up tp them. "You were quite good, Naruto." She beamed up at him, and he vaguely wondered how she could lighten her face so much considering how battered she looks.

"Before I forget, who's Ero-sennin?" At her wide eyes he said, "I remember you saying you 'had to go on a training trip with Ero-sennin' and I was wondering who it was."

Naruto blinked.

"Oh, his name's actually Jiraiya."

Kushina guffawed, as Minato pinched between his eyes. "Jiraiya-sensei, huh…" As much as he respected the man, he couldn't help but be wary of his perverted ways. 'Pervy Sage' indeed...

"Yeah! He talked about you a few times, y'know." The blonde said as she examined the already healing scrape on her knee. "He was really fond of you."

Minato smiled.

"I see."

* * *

"Here's my estimation of Naruto's abilities based on her work today." He handed the Sandaime a sheet of paper, and waited as the man skimmed his eyes through it. "She can do such high ranking techniques? Even the Rasengan?" Sarutobi finally said, one brown brow rising as he looked up at the blonde man for confirmation. "That is the technique you recently created, yes? Splendid."

"That is what she told us, yes."

"Oh?"

Minato combed a hand through his blonde locks, thinking. "I'm not doubting her, I believe she is telling the truth when she said she learnt it. When she tried to show it to us this morning, however, it failed. There seems to be something wrong with her chakra control."

Sarutobi furrowed his brows, "Do you think it is from Tobirama's seal?"

"I'm positive." He held up his hand, and wisps of blue chakra appeared above his palms. "The Rasengan is a ball of dense chakra molded and compressed into a tight ball," he demonstrated, and the wisps of chakra grew and spun, spiralling and forming into a bright orb. "And it requires quite a bit of chakra control and not just a lot of chakra, unlike the shadow clone."

The Hokage marvelled at the technique; it sure looked dazzling as it looked deadly. "This is the first time I got to see your technique in person." Though other than Kushina and Jiraiya, perhaps the only people that got to see the technique in action was the user himself and his enemies.

"She said that the last time she had used the jutsu was a month ago at most. That shouldn't be enough time for her chakra control to weaken, even if she had refrained from training."

Sarutobi hummed in thought. "I see. We will have to get that checked then."

"There is one more thing I believe requires attention concerning her safety, Hokage-sama."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Naruto had waved it off as mere dizzy spells, but I doubt it is just that." Minato furrowed his brows, "After performing the Multiple Shadow Clones technique, she had been unresponsive for a few minutes. She had explained feeling drained, but I doubt she had meant only her chakra, from the way she spoke and looked back then." He tried not to think of those dull, empty eyes.

"That _is_ concerning…" Sarutobi rubbed tiredly at the bridge of his nose. "Will you take her to the Hyuuga? I would get their clan head here myself but I already have appointments I have to be at." He had already pushed the meeting he had arranged with Koharu his advisors to let Minato in with his report on Naruto's abilities. Postponing any more would raise questions.

"Of course, Hokage-sama."

* * *

"There isn't anything unusual with her chakra core, though it seems _quite_ strained. Perhaps she's been using too much chakra, recently?" Hyuuga Hizashi suggested, his white eyes eyeing her in interest. She was brought to their home through the Hokage's orders, which made him curious. They currently stood in his private stone garden, after Minato had explained that this was to be kept a secret.

He had never seen her before, he was sure. While Konoha wasn't a small village, it wasn't exactly a big one either. It would be easy to spot one with such a unique mask, and he doubted he'd even seen her without it. It would be hard to miss such golden hair, after all. Could she have just come in from outside? An unlikely thought, as it was hard to imagine that Sarutobi would, no matter how soft he was, let a shinobi into their village right after the last war, even if they were as young as this girl looked. Unless...

Was she taken in by Root?

He had learned of the relatively new group from the founder, Shimura Danzo himself. The man had come to recruit some of his men, and Hizashi suspected he had gone to the other major clans as well. He had been told of their harsh training. Perhaps this little girl was trained like them, to be completely and absolutely loyal to Konohagakure. Unlike some others, he had no opinion on the shadow of the shadow, as the organization was often called in gossip. He neither liked it nor disliked it. Simply knew of its existence. He did not know enough about what exactly Root does. No one did.

All they did know was, once you're in you're never seen or heard of again.

While it may be a bit of a stretch, it wouldn't be strange if that were the case. This girl seemed to have the potential, with such outrageous reserves. Her chakra was also so full of vitality; he could see the strength in the luminosity of it with his eyes.

Which concerned him. There was no sign of injury, of a mission or training gone wrong. What on earth could require so much of that chakra to the point it exhausted her core?

He was about to release the Byakugan and comment on that—until he noticed a flicker of something… _purple?_ It was gone before his eyes could fully spot where it came from, but it did make him look closer, close enough to notice that something was off. He strained his eyes further, and the veins in his temples grew even more pronounced. "From what I could tell, her chakra is being pumped without an issue, however…" His eyes widened, as realization slid in place. However what came after was not comprehension but instead more confusion. What could possibly be the cause behind it? He had never seen or heard of anything like this before.

Minato raised a brow at the man's hesitance. "What is it?"

Hizashi's mouth set in a slight frown. "There is an imbalance between the production of both energies, I can faintly see it in the way her chakra looks and flows. The ratio should be roughly the same, and though a slight difference is common depending on the person and their condition, well… I doubt this could be considered anything close to normal." He released his byakugan, and instantly the blonde's shoulders eased, before tensing again at the new information. "There is too much of her spiritual energy compared to her physical in the chakra flowing through her pathways. While the chakra core _is_ trying to compensate for it I believe it isn't fast enough, which may explain your symptoms."

"Naruto, has your chakra always been like this?" The younger man asked the girl, and she furrowed her brows.

"No, my chakra used to get checked regularly when I was younger, but there was nothing weird about it I think." Minato narrowed his eyes at that. Noticing the change in his gaze, she quickly tried to brush off his concerns. "Ah, no, it's not because my chakra was, uh, special or anything—" Naruto wasn't lying, technically, "—it's just, I've always had a lot of chakra, y'know?"

No, they didn't know how that was connected to the necessity of the checkups, but the blond man decided to file the information away for later. It was obvious that Naruto did not want to say it, whether it was because of Hizashi's presence or another reason he could not be sure. From how she kept shooting glances at himself, however, Minato was leaning more towards the latter. And he had a feeling…

Minato thanked the Hyuuga for his help, and left with Naruto. They were walking down the street towards his house when he finally got out of his thoughts. "Well?" He asked the girl, and clarified when she cocked her head in confusion. "Does this explain the changes you felt since arriving in this timeline? Do you have any other concerns that it didn't answer?"

"Oh…" Naruto scratched her cheek, thinking deeply. "Well, I don't really get it, but I guess? I've been feeling sick since yesterday but I kinda assumed it was because I teleported and all, plus I spent the whole earlier portion of the day cleaning my apartment." At that her face turned a little green, remembering the slimy who-knows-how-old ramen spills she had to mop up.

When she noticed his irritated look, she hastily explained. "I thought it wasn't a big deal 'cause I got a whole lot better when I woke up this morning! I always recover fast, so…"

Minato rubbed at his temple. "Well, this does explain why you could still do the Kage Bunshin," He said, as he considered the information Hizashi gave them. "If you're getting better then it might simply be a temporary thing."

"Awesome." They climbed up the stairs and Naruto waited as Minato got out his keys in front of his door. She rubbed her sandaled foot against the itch behind her other leg as she inspected her nails. They grew too long. She should cut them.

"We really must teach you to report _everything_ , Naruto, because you seem to keep missing out on all the important details," he drawled, and Naruto whipped her head up, almost expecting a completely different man to be in front of her because...

The way Minato had spoken sounded exactly like Kakashi-sensei.

"Well, before that we've got to start on your fuinjutsu training, and Kushina's gone for a short patrol mission so I'll be the one to teach you today."

She rubbed at the back of her neck as she walked in after Minato, who hadn't noticed her odd reaction and went to one of his rooms. Sighing, Naruto trotted towards the kitchen sink to wash her hands. She tried to think of the present and not the future, where she belonged. As great as it was to be living with the future Yondaime, she missed her friends dearly. Realization that she was stuck was starting to sink in, as she was reminded of how everything has changed, and it would be a while before she could go home again.

She had to train and master the art of sealing quickly. She had a time limit, and a short one at that. But she had always managed to get herself out of trouble, somehow or another. She _will_ get out of this one. And when she did...

Would she arrive back at her apartment, on the pile of dirty beyond repair shirts, the age she is now? As if nothing happened? Or would she return older, the age she would be once she finds a way back? She would be fifteen, then, in front of a thirteen year old Sakura. Or would the future have gone on without her, and she would return the way she would be by then?

If that were the case then she'd have to train stronger and stronger. She could not afford to waste a moment here.

Minato came in to the room then, bringing her out of her thoughts. "Here are the things I'll have you read!" He said with a wide, shining smile, before promptly dumping the heavy pile of books and scrolls onto the dining table.

Well, it didn't seem like Minato would let her slack around anyways, Naruto thought despairingly.

* * *

"I swear that kid would walk straight to her death and not even know it…" He muttered lowly, but loud enough for the older man to hear.

"Indeed…" Hiruzen then unlocked a drawer on his desk, and took out a thin scroll. After releasing the lock on the scroll with a flash of his chakra, he handed it to the blond, letting Minato take it and inspect it. He watched as understanding dawned on those blue eyes, following it as it roamed through the words written in the material.

A handwritten copy of Tobirama's incomplete time travel seal.

"What Hizashi-dono told us, it explains how she managed to go so far back in time. One of the reasons why this is labeled incomplete… is because of the ridiculous amount of chakra it requires to use it to its full advantage, isn't it?" At most, with all of an average jounin's levels, it could take them back four or five years at most, _with a body to replace._ Then, it would leave the body in a brief, coma-like state. The body needs to replenish the chakra it's lostーif there is any left at all, that isーand get used to the new environment. The natural energy around the time traveler would be different, especially when the amount of years they travel back is higher. It would affect the chakra of the time traveler, though by how much they would need more time to study more about. The man's pupils narrowed as the cogs in his head turned fast with his thoughts. "Naruto isn't even born yet for another five years. So how… even an Uzumaki with all their massive chakra levels wouldn't have—" his eyes unfocused then, as cold understanding filled him. Filled him with a dread that trickled down his spine, limbs, and fingers.

Because there was only one entity that could possibly hold so much chakra.

It was as if something had slid into place. The missing piece to the puzzle. Minato's cobalt blue eyes rose to meet the older man, unsurprised to see them holding the same calm they had earlier. The Professor, they called him, for the wisdom that had guided them out of the Second Shinobi World War.

The tanned hands gripped around the scroll tightly.

Naruto's words from earlier this morning made sense now. The Third became Hokage again, after the Kyuubi was sealed into Naruto. Minato died—been killed—too suddenly for a suitable candidate could be chosen as the next ruler of Konohagakure, and the village resorted to the previous Hokage.

This happened most likely during Naruto's birth, the only time Kushina's seal could have weakened from what he knew. Why else would the Kyuubi not be in Kushina? He would have understood if it was when they were growing old, when there needed to be a new Jinchuuriki.

He had nine months… no, more, probably, knowing himself and Kushina. They would have prepared themselves even before the baby was conceived. They would have been prepared for worst case scenarios. Thus it didn't make sense. He would have made sure they would be ready and able to keep the fox down, so Kushina, the baby, Konohagakure would be safe. What could have possibly gone wrong?

What happened on the day of Naruto's birth?

"A jinchuuriki on top of everything we know of her so far…" The words slipped from the Hokage's mouth, disbelief at the ridiculousness of it all evident in his voice. "She can either be this village's path to its glory, or its doom."

Which is why he had refused to use her knowledge of the future in the first place. Power like that was dangerous.

"What should we do, Hokage-sama?"

...But what if they had no choice?

* * *

 **I hadn't realized just how many follows/favs this story got so I was absolutely floored when I checked. Holy moly, thank you guys!**

 **And thank you thank you thank you, to the people who've reviewed! I love hearing your thoughts on this.**

 **And about the Team Seven picture... let's just say she had kept it in her jacket pocket with her when they went on that Retrieve Sasuke mission and forgot about it ever since.**

 **EDIT: Fixed up the scene where Minato and Kushina evaluates Naruto's skills. I swear I've been through this like ten times how the frick did I miss that? Ugh, thanks so much nocloudypooh for pointing it out!**


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